Devotionals

Do you flippantly use the Lord’s name in conversation without even thinking about His majesty or holiness? What about the process you go through before you commit yourself with a vow? Do you consider the situation carefully or do you ...Read More

The fact that God swore an oath when He initiated the Abrahamic covenant demonstrates that oaths are appropriate when we make life-regulating agreements. Remarkably, society has always recognized this through things like marriage vows, ordination vows, and, to a lesser ...Read More

If you were to ask people what it means to take the name of the Lord in vain, most would probably say that it involves some kind of curse of the name of God. However, anytime we swear an oath ...Read More

All of us have made promises that we do not intend to keep. We make vows all the while knowing that we have a way out if we want it. As we have seen today, however, such activity violates the ...Read More

John Calvin writes that if James’ audience “observed faithfulness as they ought, in their words, there would have been no necessity of so many superfluous oaths.” How trustworthy is your speech? Can people believe what you say? Do you see ...Read More

James 5:11 concludes by reminding us that the Lord is compassionate and merciful. We can see this now but it will be even more evident to us at the last day. The vindication that we will experience and the compassion ...Read More

Presently, the people of God suffer under the rule of ungodly men. Yet, as we have read today, one day this will all be reversed. We must, therefore, wait patiently for this day, working to help spread the good news ...Read More

Most wealthy Christians would probably not be guilty of withholding pay from their employees. However, there are many other ways in which wealth can be misused. For example, it is possible to sin by living to the full extent of ...Read More

When we confess our sins before the Lord, it is easy to remember our flagrant violations of His law. Harder to see, however, are those times when we have known what is right and yet have not done it. Perhaps ...Read More

The call to recognize God’s sovereign will over the future is incumbent upon the rich and poor alike. And though the statement “Lord willing” is not a magic phrase conveying absolute trust in God, it is often true that when ...Read More